Blakely Newsletter - September 22 2025

It has been a wonderful first month together in the counseling classroom! I see each grade level class once every three weeks, and together we get to engage in hands-on, informative lessons related to various social-emotional topics. 

During September, students learned more about the role of a school counselor and how I am here to support every student with academic, social, and emotional growth. We also focused on our school-wide monthly theme of Respect, using Character Strong. All month, they have explored what respect looks like at school, at home, and with friends. Students practiced ways to show kindness, listen to others, and value differences.

Looking ahead to October, students can look forward to coping strategy centers during our classroom counseling lessons, where they will practice healthy ways to handle big feelings. We will also dive into bullying prevention, using Second Step’s curriculum alongside Character Strong activities to help students recognize, refuse, report, and stand up against bullying behavior while building a stronger, more caring school community. During this unit, we discuss how to recognize bullying behavior, how to assertively refuse the behavior, and how to report the behavior. We will also discuss the importance of supporting and reporting as upstanders if we see bullying behavior happen (as opposed to being a bystander). We will celebrate our Annual Unity Day on Wednesday, October 15th with a bullying prevention play from Taproot Theater in the afternoon. We will have more information out soon about this important, eventful week in October. 

Also in October, we will also be moving our school-wide focus to the character trait of Responsibility. Together we will be reviewing and learning more about how we can act in responsible ways to care for our school, homes, and greater community.

Try a quick “Respect Round” at dinner or bedtime this week. Have each family member share one way they showed respect that day (to a classmate, teacher, sibling, or even themselves). This simple practice can help reinforce respectful habits and keeps the conversation going at home.

Always Here, 

Our photographer is scheduled to take school photos the morning of Friday, September 26th

Please read the Picture Day Flyer for information and instructions regarding school photos and online ordering.

Picture retakes will be on Tuesday, October 28th.

Save the date: Blakely’s 3rd annual Jog-A-Thon will be held Friday, October 17th!

Do you own or work for a company interested in supporting Blakely while also getting great visibility in our community? Sponsorship opportunities are available! Contact Elli Koskella for more information: ellikoskella@gmail.com

The Blakely Chess Club is designed to introduce students to the game of chess, and participants will learn the basic strategies and tactics of the ancient game. The Club is coached by Mark Cohen, who has coached chess on Bainbridge Island since 2004. Club members will meet immediately after school in the Commons. (Max 24 students)

Session: Tuesdays (9/23 - 10/28) from 2:20pm - 4:00pm

Cost: $120

Picture Day Volunteers - come help organize the flow for Picture Day on Friday September 26. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044EA9AF29AAFA7-58811456-blakely#/ 

Popcorn Friday is coming back! Pick a window to help pass out a favorite treat. Sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044EA9AF29AAFA7-58613597-popcorn 

The next PTO Meeting will be held on October 3 at 9am in the Blakely Library. All are welcome!

Fall Referral Window: September 29–October 10, 2025

BISD’s Highly Capable (HC) referrals are welcome during our fall window for students new to our district (since February 2025) in grades 1–11. (Referrals for Kindergarten and currently enrolled BISD students will open during our spring window.)

If you’d like your student considered for HC services, please visit our BISD Highly Capable page for the timeline, program details, and the referral form.

Please complete the BISD referral and email documentation (e.g., assessment scores, grades, placement letters) to Whitney Skarbek at wskarbek@bisd303.org.

Deadline: Submit the referral (and any supporting documents, if applicable) by end of day Friday, October 10, 2025.

Questions or need assistance? Contact Whitney Skarbek at wskarbek@bisd303.org.

Deciding whether your child should stay home can be tough. This guide helps you recognize key symptoms and know when it’s best to keep your child home to rest, recover, and prevent spreading illness to others.

Dear Families,

As part of our district’s commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment, we are writing to share information about one of the ways we support students’ social-emotional well-being.

This year, teachers in grades K–5 will complete the Character Strong Strengths and Needs Screener (new this year) for all students assigned to their class as part of our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). This brief screener, combined with other relevant data (such as attendance), helps us gain a clearer understanding of each student’s social-emotional and behavioral needs.

The information gathered from this process allows a team made up of district and school administrators, counselors, and qualified staff to:

The offered support may include small group or individual interventions focused on specific social-emotional skills or needs. If your student is identified as a student who could benefit from this type of additional support, you will be notified and provided an opt-out form giving you the option to decline your student’s participation in the intervention. If your student is not identified as a student who could benefit from this type of additional support, you will not receive an additional notification. 

If you have any questions about MTSS, this screener, or the support process, please do not hesitate to reach out to your building administrator or our Director of Student Services, Annalisa Sanchez, at asanchez@bisd303.org. We value our partnership and appreciate your continued support in helping all students succeed.

Want to donate supplies to your child's STEM class?

We can use:

26: Picture Day!

3: PTO Meeting 9:00am Library

3: Popcorn Day

17: Jog-A-Thon (Morning)

28: Picture Retakes

30-31: Conferences (No School)

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