Coho Connection 06/09/26

Dear Sakai Families,

With school wrapping up next Tuesday, this will be our last newsletter of the year.

I want to take a moment and say thank you to our wonderful volunteers! From helping in the library, hanging artwork, supervising field trips and events, or leading book groups, the donation of your time means a lot to us and our students. We appreciate you so much! I want to give a very heartfelt thank you to Magda and Anna, our PTO Co-Presidents for really stepping up and leading us to a very successful year. Also to Brandi and Lara for their support on our PTO Board. We appreciate the time and talent you gave to our school this year!

Yesterday in COHO students wrote letters. 5th-graders wrote to their 6th-grade teachers and 6th-graders wrote to their future selves (they will be given their letter back at the end of 8th grade). Both of these letter formats incorporate reflection and goal setting. This week's Family Dare is to write a note to someone who has helped your student grow this year. It could be a teacher, para, bus driver, coach, family member, neighbor…the possibilities are endless. This moment of gratitude and reflection will help your student reflect on all their success this year.

While the end of the school year always brings reflection, this one holds a special significance for me as I prepare to transition into a new role as K-6 Director of Teaching and Learning. Leading the Sakai community has been an absolute honor. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our students, families, and staff for making these years so meaningful, and I look forward to supporting our district's continued success in this next chapter. 

If you are returning to us in the fall, the Sakai staff look forward to seeing you at the Ice Cream Social on August 28th (12:30-2:00). Look for further communication from Mrs. Hook in mid-August. For families not returning, we wish you the best of luck as you move on. 

Have a relaxing and joyful summer, 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.  ​​​​

I am a little lost for words to start; as this is the last time I will ever be writing a parent letter. Retirement is on the horizon and I am busy sorting, packing and teaching, finishing strong. As I look back over my career I am so grateful for the students that I have had the opportunity to get to know and teach. Creativity is so needed in the world today and our students are very creative.

I hope that this summer everyone has the chance to relax and enjoy nature and that kids have the chance to be bored. I think that being bored is a great way to get kids to be creative and also encourages reading. So, build in boredom to that busy schedule that many have. It will be a gift to you and your students.

As to what I look forward to in the future, I am excited to get my hip replaced and then my knee. I might try my hand at teaching at the Parks and Rec. in Poulsbo for fun, and of course creating my own art. As many know, kayaking is a passion and I hope to spend time in Canada also doing that and getting inspiration for art.

Below are photos of creativity from last week that would also be fun to do as a family.

Best Wishes!

Maggie Hitchcock

Art Specialist

If you are not returning to BISD schools in the fall, please contact the office at 206-780-6500 to inform us of your plans. Thank you so much.

 

If you have a student moving up to 7th grade, please read the following information.

  

In Washington State, the Tdap vaccine is required for school attendance on or before the start of 7th grade (RCW 28A.210.080). The Tdap is a booster vaccine which continues to protect your child against the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis diseases they were immunized against as a young child.  

To update your child’s Tdap immunization (or other vaccine) record at the school, you will need to turn in a medically verified immunization record. Your child’s health care provider can print this for you, or you can print it from MyIRMobile, which is a free Department of Health online tool that allows families to view and print their official immunization records themselves. Go here for more information on accessing your families immunization information. 

For more information on Washington State immunization requirements, please visit School and Child Care Immunization Information for Families 

Please feel free to contact the Woodward health room if you have any questions: (206) 780-4511.

As the school year comes to a close, every day still counts! June is a time to wrap up important learning, complete projects, celebrate accomplishments, and make lasting memories with friends and classmates.

For 5th and 6th grade students, this is also a time of transition and preparation for new opportunities next year. Attending school regularly through the last day helps students stay on track academically, build confidence, and finish the year feeling proud of their hard work.

Strong attendance now also helps students maintain routines and return in September ready to learn, reconnect with friends, and take on new challenges. Let's finish the year strong and set the stage for a successful start next fall!

If your student will miss school during these last couple of days, please make sure to request their absence be excused before the final bell rings! Our absolute cutoff for accepting any recent absence notes is dismissal time on the last day of school. 

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).

As we near Summer Break, we want to ensure every student in our community stays fueled and ready for fun! Helpline House, in partnership with Bainbridge Island Rotary, is proud to offer the Kids’ Pantry program to provide supplemental groceries for local families.These bags are for any youth (ages infancy-18) in need of additional food during the summer break. Bags contain enough food for 1 youth for a week.

If your family could benefit from extra groceries over the summer, you can stop by for a pick-up:

We know that work schedules and transportation can sometimes make it difficult to get to Helpline House. If you are unable to make it during pick-up hours, Rotary volunteers are available to deliver groceries directly to your home.

Please contact Sarah Frost, sfrost@bisd303.org, to coordinate a drop-off time that works for your family.

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