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Inside this Newsletter
- Message from the Principal
- Back to School Calendar Items
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Dear Sakai Families,
I am so excited to welcome you and your child to the 2024-25 school year! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing and joy-filled summer. For those of you returning to us, welcome back! For those of you new to our school, I know you will find Sakai an extraordinary place for your child to learn and grow.
I am fortunate to know many of our families, but those of you I haven’t had the pleasure to meet, let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Drew Crandall and this is my fifth year as principal at Sakai. I feel very lucky to be working with such thoughtful, caring, and supportive staff, families, and students. I have been in education for 22 years as a principal, assistant principal, instructional coach, and teacher. My wife and I are originally from Michigan and moved to Bainbridge Island eleven years ago after living in Seattle. We have two children in the Bainbridge Island School District, Porter who will be an 8th-grader this year and Olive who will be a 4th-grader. As a family we enjoy camping, skiing, playing pickleball, cheering for the Sounders, and walking our dog, Juno.
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This is the first Coho Connection newsletter of the 24-25 school year and you can expect to receive one each week. Please take a moment to read these as they will have important information on the week ahead and future events.
With every start to the school year, there comes a range of emotions from nervousness to excitement. Sakai has always had a focus on the unique social-emotional needs of students at this age, and I assure you this year will be no different. Our most important goal is to create a positive school environment in which students have a strong sense of belonging, connecting with school and one another. To that end, we will be continuing with dedicated time for social-emotional lessons during our Monday COHO lessons. These whole school lessons will be from 9-9:40 and primarily use the research-based curriculum, CharacterStrong. You will hear more about this curriculum from me in upcoming newsletters.
Below are some important calendar items to note as we get started. Look for our Coho Connection next week which will contain the Sakai Family Handbook and answer questions regarding arrival and dismissal schedule, lunch plans, and specialist rotation. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out.
We are so excited for this upcoming school year, and can’t wait to get started!
Drew Crandall
Principal
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Back to School Calendar Items
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August 23: Class placement will be open for families on Skyward at 4:00 pm (supply lists are already on our website).
August 30: Ice Cream Social! Stop by anytime between 10:30-11:30 to see the school, find your classroom and meet your teachers.
September 3: First day of school! Please note that Sakai's hours are 8:55 am to 3:25 pm Tuesday through Friday and 8:55 am to 1:55 pm on Monday.
September 18: 5th-grade Parent/Guardian Night from 5:15 to 6:30 pm.
September 24: 6th-grade Parent/Guardian Night from 5:15 to 6:15 pm.
September 25: School photos during the school day.
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Non-Discrimination Statement
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Bainbridge Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Kristen Haizlip, Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator and Gender Inclusive Schools Coordinator, 8489 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110; 206-780-1058; khaizlip@bisd303.org
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