Inside this Newsletter
- Exciting News for the Sakai Community!
- PTO News - COHO Run and More News
- Sakai Spirit
- Sakai Reads
- BISD Farm to School Program
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Qustodio Launch
- Build Habits & Routines to SHOW UP and SHOW OUT!
- BHS Youth Girls Basketball Camp
- Sakai Calendar
- Community Events
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We are thrilled to announce that Trude Winters is officially stepping into the role of Associate Principal here at Sakai Intermediate School!
Trude brings a wealth of passion, dedication, and energy to our school family, and having her in this leadership position will allow us to provide even greater support for our students, staff, and families.
We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead as we continue to build a strong, supportive learning environment for our 5th and 6th graders. Please join us in giving Trude a warm Sakai welcome to her new role!
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Hello Sakai families,
It’s time to rally your troops for Sakai PTO's big one-and-done annual fundraiser — the Sakai COHO Run officially kicks off today and runs through Friday, October 23rd. We have just a few weeks to reach our schoolwide goal of $70,000. That works out to about $150 per student for the whole school year.
Best for Last
There will be a proper COHO Run on the final day of our fundraiser, Friday October 23rd. Students can look forward to getting silly and sweaty on the Woodward track. Costumes, props and shenanigans are encouraged for this school spirit spectacular, with one 5th and one 6th grade class being crowned the most spirited homerooms.
Of course there’s a little friendly competition involved!
- Regardless of funds raised, every student will be automatically entered into weekly prize drawings.
- Most spirited award to best dressed 5th and 6th grade classes at the COHO Run on October 23rd
- Expect a schoolwide reward for reaching our $70,000 goal.
Your Donations in Action
Funds raised during the annual Sakai COHO Run support enrichment and educational resources for the whole school year including teacher grants, grade-level assemblies, classroom and teacher supplies, subscriptions, educational programs, and community events, and family resources.
Your PTO is committed to funding experiences and events that build and foster a strong school community for our students, families, teachers and staff.
Donate Online:
- Click DONATE and select your donation amount. That’s it!
- You’ll have the option to designate your donation to a specific student or class, and be able to split the funds between multiple students or classes. You can also keep it open-ended and make a general donation.
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The final prompt to “tip” is optional. These funds are retained by the fundraising platform to help cover their bottom line. They specifically do NOT go to Sakai PTO, PTOCC, or BISD. You are not required to add any tip amount to your transaction.
Donate by Cash & Check:
- Each student will receive a COHO Run envelope from their homeroom teacher to collect their cash and check donations.
- Donations can also be dropped off at the Sakai front office or sent in by mail:
Sakai Intermediate School
COHO Run
- Make checks payable to Sakai PTO.
- All cash and check donations are due back by the end of the school day on Friday, October 23rd.
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Corporate Matching:
Many companies offer formal donation matching as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Many smaller companies without a formal CSR program are also happy to offer to match donations upon request. Requesting a matching gift is normally a quick and easy process which must be initiated by the donor.
Your employer will need the following info:
- Tax ID # 91-0977467
- Name of organization: Bainbridge Island Parent Teacher Organization Coordinating Council (PTOCC)
The Bainbridge Island PTOCC is the 501(c)(3) organization for all district PTOs. Matching funds received by the PTOCC will be designated to Sakai PTO.
Let Sakai PTO know that you have initiated a matching gift by emailing sakai.fundraising@bainbridgeptos.org. We will make sure it’s attributed to your student's class during the COHO Run.
Thank you for your support!
Your generous donation supports resources for our entire school.
— Your Sakai PTO Team
COHO FAQ:
Where does the COHO Run money go?
Sakai PTO supports our students, staff and families through so many things!
- Student Enrichment, including:
- Field Trips & assemblies
- Bike to School Day
- Leaving Our Island Curriculum
- Staff Appreciation
- Yearbooks
- Program Services:
- Math Olympiad
- Online Curriculum (Gizmos, IXL, Reflex)
- Sakai Reads
- Specialist Programs (Art, Band, Choir, Music, Morning Broadcast, P.E.)
- Facilities:
- Copy Paper ($8000 covers 8 of the 10 months of school)
- Emergency Preparedness Supplies
- Student’s School Supplies (All of it this year!)
- Grants:
- Discretionary Staff Grants
- Scholarships
- Staff Stipends for Clubs
- Management & Operations:
- Meeting Supplies
- PTOCC Dues
How do I designate my donation to a specific student or class on RallyUp?
During checkout you will have the option to designate your donation to a specific student name, homeroom class name, or keep your donation general. You will be able to split your donation between multiple students or multiple classes, but not both in a single transaction.
Can’t find your student or their class name? Make a general donation and include a comment after checkout. We'll do our best to assign your donation to the appropriate class.
Why am I being asked to tip with my donation?
Sakai PTO uses a free tier of the Rally Up platform, which means we do not to pay for this service up front, and we are not charged a percentage per transaction to cover the cost of the service. Instead, Rally Up requests optional “tipping” during checkout as a means of passing their platform fee on to donors.
- Sakai PTO cannot disable tipping.
- Tips do NOT go to Sakai PTO in any way, shape, or form.
- 100% of tips go to Rally Up. This is part of their business model.
- Tips are OPTIONAL
To opt out of tipping, simply set the custom tipping amount to $0.
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PTO Meeting
Please join us for our next PTO meeting on Thursday, October 15th, at 9:00 a.m.
You are welcome to attend the PTO meeting either in-person at Sakai in room 106 or via Google Meet. The Google Meet link will be sent to families prior to the meeting.
Feed Our Teachers & Staff
Help us treat our teachers to lunch! We're putting together a conference day soup and salad lunch and we would LOVE your help! If you can bring a dish, drink or other item, please click the sign up genius link below to claim your spot. Every contribution helps make the day special!
Spirit Wear
PTO Sakai spirit wear T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, hoodies and pullovers are available for ordering using the School Spiritwear Store! Order online and ship to home or pick up is also available. |
This month the following students were honored for outstanding spirit:
- Audrey Miramontez
- Finley Berman
- AJ Tmarsel
- Luke Taylor
- Luca Foley
These students invited a friend to attend a pizza party with Ms. Hook. 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.
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Our annual Sakai Reads event will take place on November 5th. This year's book theme is Empathy & Compassion. Volunteers are needed to read a title and lead a book discussion group.
Please review this link and sign up 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.
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October is National Farm to School Month and this Wednesday, Oct 7th is Taste Washington Day! Our BISD Farm to School program is celebrating once again with the Washington Apple Crunch! Washington apples will be available during lunch on Thursday for all Sakai students. |
On October 15th, 11:50 - 12:50, we'll be running a taste test of a new scratch-cooked menu item at lunchtime! Our BISD Farm to School October Harvest of the Month feature is pumpkin. We will feature a dish containing pumpkin for this taste test, and will set up a tasting and voting station in the cafeteria to offer it to all students. Volunteers will serve the dish in compostable bamboo containers and ask all students to vote for if they'd like to have it on the lunch menu again.
Please review this link and sign up 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.
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Game Room Volunteers
We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help make our school’s Game Room a fun, welcoming, and engaging space for our 5th and 6th grade students! Game Room will be available during lunch recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please review the link below and sign up if you are able.
Library Volunteers
The library is looking for volunteers to help restock and organize books on the shelves during school hours.
Volunteers can help at any time during the school day that works with their schedule. Please review the link below and sign up if you are able.
Lunchroom Volunteers
We are looking for parent volunteers to help during our students’ lunch period at Sakai.
If you are interested in helping in our lunchroom, please review the link below and sign up 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.
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To support student online safety, Bainbridge Island School District has partnered with Qustodio, a leading provider of online safety solutions. While BISD Chromebooks already feature internet filtering and monitoring, we are providing every family with a free Qustodio Parental App account for additional oversight outside of school hours. Qustodio prioritizes privacy and safety - Learn more about Qustodio.
With Qustodio, you can:
Activate Your Free Account HERE www.qustodio.com/my-school using the email address on file in Family Access with the district. Splithouse holds? You can establish separate accounts. Follow the directions when signing up.
Need help with Qustodio, please reach out to myschool@qustodio.com. BISD does not provide technical support for this tool. Note from Qustodio: Your child’s data stays protected. We collect the minimum data required and your data is securely stored. We never market to children, share or sell it to third parties. Qustodio’s platform meets FERPA and COPPA standards.
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By October, the excitement of the new school year may be wearing off and busy schedules are in full swing. For 5th and 6th graders, this is a great time to build more independence and strengthen the routines that help students get to school every day, on time, and ready to learn.
A successful school day starts the night before! Students ages 6–12 need 9–12 hours of sleep each night to support attention, learning, behavior, and overall well-being. If your child is starting to struggle with attendance, talk with your child’s teacher or school counselor at conferences later this month, we are here to help!
Families can help students take more responsibility for their routines by:
- Maintaining consistent bedtime and wake-up times.
- Talking positively about school and making attendance a family priority.
- Setting an alarm and getting up on time.
- Packing backpacks, charging devices, and choosing clothes the night before.
- Starting the day with a nutritious breakfast.
These simple routines do more than make mornings easier—they help students develop the organization, independence, and responsibility they'll need as they move toward middle school.
Remember, every day at school is an opportunity to learn, connect with friends and teachers, build confidence, and stay on track academically.
Strong routines build strong habits. Strong habits build strong attendance. Keep SHOWING UP and SHOWING OUT this October—every day counts!
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OCTOBER
15: PTO Meeting 9:00 am
21: Unity Day - Wear orange
23: COHO Run Day
26: PD Full Day Release - No School
27-30: Fall Conferences - Half Day Dismissal at 11:55
28: School photo retakes.
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Bainbridge Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to Scouting America and other designated youth groups.
The following employees are designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator & Title IX Coordinator:
Kristen Haizlip, Associate Superintendent
Section 504/ADA Coordinators:
Maria Kuffel
Darren Spencer
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