Inside this Newsletter
- Counselor's Corner
- PTO News - COHO Run and More News
- Parent Pick Up
- Math Olympiad
- School Photos Are Ready!
- Sakai Reads
- BISD Farm to School Program
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Important Schedule Update: Week of October 26–30
- Pre-Order Grab & Go Lunches on Half Days
- Build Habits & Routines to SHOW UP and SHOW OUT!
- BHS Youth Girls Basketball Camp
- Financial Literacy Club
- Sakai Calendar
- Community Events
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Stronger Together: October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a nationwide campaign to unite communities against bullying and encourage kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. At Sakai, we are deeply committed to ensuring that every single student feels safe, valued, and heard both inside and outside the classroom.
Building Connections During COHO Time & Unity Day
A core part of our prevention work happens every Monday during COHO time. This dedicated time gives our 5th and 6th graders a consistent, safe space to build meaningful connections with peers and staff.
Special Event Spotlight: Unity Day Assembly & Kindness Haikus To celebrate National Bullying Prevention Month, we will also be hosting a school-wide Unity Day assembly on 10/21 - All Students Should WEAR ORANGE! In preparation for this event, students will participate in a community kindness haiku activity in their ELA classes. Their creative poetry will showcase their thoughts on empathy, inclusion, and belonging, helping us visually and verbally represent our shared commitment to a supportive school culture.
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Digital Safety: Monitoring Chats & Social Media Boundaries
While we work hard to foster positive relationships at school, much of students' social life now extends into digital spaces. We need your partnership to help keep our students safe online.
1. A Reminder on Age Limits for Social Media Most popular social media platforms—including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord—require users to be at least 13 years old under COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule). Because our 5th and 6th graders are under 13, their brain development and emotional maturity are still forming, making navigating online spaces particularly challenging without adult guidance.
2. The Impact on Youth Mental Health Research highlights the significant risks social media and cyberbullying pose to youth:
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Mental Health Risks: According to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General (Social Media and Youth Mental Health, 2023), adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
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Cyberbullying Prevalence: Data from the Pew Research Center (2022) shows that nearly half (46%) of teens aged 13–17 have experienced cyberbullying, with offensive name-calling and rumor-spreading being the most common forms.
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Digital Footprint & Peer Stress: Unmonitored group chats (such as iMessage group texts, gaming chats, or messaging apps) can quickly become spaces for exclusion, ranking, or hurtful comments that carry over into the school day.
How You Can Help at Home
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Check Group Chats Frequently: Regularly review your child’s text messages, group chats, and gaming channels with them. Looking at chats together creates natural opportunities to discuss digital citizenship.
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Set Tech-Free Zones & Times: Keep devices out of bedrooms overnight and charge phones in a central family area to support healthy sleep habits and prevent late-night drama.
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Encourage Open Dialogue: Let your child know they can always come to you or a trusted school adult (like their teacher or school counselor) if they see or experience something online that makes them uncomfortable.
As a parent, I’m navigating these exact same conversations at home with my own kids, and I encourage you to keep the dialogue going with yours, too, and with each other. It truly takes a village, and we are fortunate to have such a strong, caring community of adults wrapping around our students. Thank you for partnering with us to keep Sakai a safe, kind, and supportive place for every child!
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Hello Sakai families,
Thank you all for getting the COHO Run, Sakai’s biggest fundraiser of the year, off to a fast start! We have raised over $27,000 of our goal. That is 38% of our fundraising goal of $70,000. WAY TO GO!!! LET'S KEEP IT UP!
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.
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For dismissal, our number one goal of parent pick-up is safety. If your student gets picked up by car, they will be outside waiting for their families to pull up around the North lot loop. Please do not get out of your car or ask your child to cross traffic in the parking lot. Do not park in the South lot or next to the orange cones in the North lot. Be patient, please. A reminder that Island Church is a highly recommended option for families that can’t have students walk, ride their bikes, or take the bus.
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MOEMS® (Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools) is a fun-filled math competition program. Students all over the United States and world participate in the program. The objectives of Math Olympiad are to teach multiple strategies for out-of-the-box problem solving, develop mathematical flexibility in solving those problems, and foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity.
This year, Sakai is offering Math Olympiad before school on Thursdays. If your student would like to participate, they should pick up the Sign Up & Permission form in the office and return it by Friday, October 16th.
Here are the details:
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When: Thursday mornings from 8:00-8:30 a.m. when school is in session, beginning October 22, 2026 through March of 2027.
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Where: Sakai library.
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Who: All students who are interested in challenging themselves in math are encouraged to attend. Math O will be led by 6th grade teacher Mrs. White, with the help of parent volunteers.
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School Name: SONOJI SAKAI INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Event Code: FE124426
Picture retakes will be on Wednesday, October 28th.
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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 last week our students enjoyed the Washington Apple Crunch Day! Washington apples were available during lunch 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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PTO 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!
Sakai Reads
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.
Taste Testers Needed!! Its pumpkin month!
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.
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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Families, please mark your calendars! The last week of October will look very different this year for our K-6 students due to Professional Development and Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Week at a Glance:
- Monday, Oct. 26: NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)
- Tuesday, Oct. 27 – Friday, Oct. 30: HALF DAYS (Parent-Teacher Conferences)
Key Reminders for Half Days (Oct. 27–30):
- Dismissal Time: Students will be dismissed at 11:55 AM. Please ensure pickup or transportation arrangements are set.
- Conferences: Your student’s teacher will share details on how to schedule your conference time if they haven't already.
Thank you for partnering with us!
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Does your student need lunch on our upcoming half days? During conference week, BISD is offering Grab & Go lunches for students. To ensure our kitchen staff prepares the correct amount and to prevent any delays with bus dismissal, we are using a streamlined online sign-up system.
Meal Details:
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What’s Included: Sandwich, fruit, vegetable, snack, and beverage
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Cost: Charged directly to your student’s regular lunch account
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Classroom Delivery: Lunches will be delivered directly to classrooms before dismissal so students can take them home or onto the bus
How to Order: Please submit your order using this link by October 22nd at 5:00 PM.
Please note: To prevent dismissal delays, all half-day lunches must be pre-ordered using the link above rather than purchased after the bell.
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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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Our Financial Literacy Club offers 5th and 6th grade students a fun, engaging way to learn essential money skills after school! Through interactive lessons, students will discover how to save money, create budgets, make smart spending decisions, and understand the basics of investing. These valuable skills help children build confidence, develop responsible habits, and prepare for a financially successful future!
Financial Literacy Club meets every Thursday November 5th to May 6th from 3:25 to 4:00. Permission forms with details are in the office.
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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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