Captain Johnston Blakely Elementary School is a rural neighborhood school located on the south end of Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound and is part of the Bainbridge Island School District.

Blakely Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fourth grade.  The student population is 350.  In addition to the traditional course work, our school offers students a wide variety of programs ranging from outdoor education, Math Olympiad, Accelerated Reader, and multicultural education, to counseling and support services for students with diverse needs.  Additionally, all students participate in a specialist instructional program that includes: Art, Music, PE, Library/Media and STEM.  Caring adults nurture each student, working to inspire and motivate them to become responsible learners and confident children.

In the Blakely School Community we believe each student should be actively engaged in the pursuit of academic excellence. Staff, parents and community work collaboratively to nurture and challenge each student to achieve their greatest potential and become active contributors in a global society. We appreciate and respect individual differences, and honor creativity and kindness.

*The following information was discussed with the Blakely staff at the beginning of the year.  It is presented here for your information with the hope that we can support each other in guiding our students/children to Be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe people at school and at home.*

The Blakely 3 Bs are the cornerstones of the positive school climate that characterizes Blakely School.  The expectation that all students and adults will act Respectfully, Safely and Responsibly establishes a clear and concise framework for student behavior, and staff and parent communication.  Your students should know the 3 Bs and have the opportunity for classroom discussion during the first week of school.  Please spend some time helping students understand these terms and the implicit expectations.  The time spent now will provide benefits for the entire year.

Blakely's 3 Bs

BE RESPONSIBLE

Being responsible means:

• Coming to school prepared to work
• Being accountable for oneself.  Admitting to mistakes rather than blaming things on others.
• Being independent. Being able to do work and follow rules without constant reminders or supervision.
• Doing your best at all times
• Being helpful to others
• Making good choices.  Choosing right over wrong, especially when confronted by peer pressure.
• Keeping promises.
• Finishing assignments.
• Being a leader for good.
• Leaving things better than when you found them.
• Knowing when to be a “reporter” (not a tattler) and having the courage to do it.
• Doing what is right for Blakely School.

BE Safe

Being safe means:

• Being free from risk or harm 
• Making sure your actions and words are appropriate to the place, time, and people involved.
• Being safe can look different in different parts of Blakely. Using the handrail on the stairs, walking in the hall, cleaning up messes in the lunchroom, controlling our bodies recess, etc.
• Respecting other peoples’ personal style and speeds. Not everyone does things the way you do.

BE RESPECTFUL

Being respectful means:

• Being fully attentive when someone is speaking to you.  Don’t be engaged in other activities, talking to someone else or looking elsewhere.
• Responding to people when they are talking to you.  Don’t ignore people.
• Avoiding improper body language or tone of voice when someone is talking to you or teaching you.  Don’t demonstrate impatience or dismissiveness by rolling your eyes, making exaggerated yawns, or using facial expressions that demonstrate contempt or ridicule.
• Being supportive of other’s efforts.  Encouraging others even when they make mistakes.  Not teasing or ridiculing.
• Waiting for someone to finish speaking before you respond. Not interrupting.
• Following the “Golden Rule.”
• Being graceful when you don’t get your way.
• Demonstrate “Good Sportsmanship” when winning or losing.
• Accept responsibility for your actions.
• Avoiding words or gestures that offend others including obscenity, sarcasm and name calling, even when any of the above are used in “fun.”
• Knowing the difference between reporting and tattling.
• Being obedient when asked to comply with reasonable requests by adults at school or on the buses.  Not engaging in “sassing” or over defiance.

Students are expected to:

•   Walk at all times in the halls and approaching the building
•   Talk in soft voice upon entering the building from recess
•   No pushing or grabbing
•   Please and thank you are always appreciated and appropriate 

Buses:

Please emphasize that school rules and expectations apply on buses. Drivers must be able to concentrate on safety and should not be distracted.

Students are expected to:

•  Use soft voices
•  No changing seats or moving about when bus is moving
•  Follow driver directions and requests
•  No pushing, grabbing or horsing around at any time

Playground:

Please distribute playground rules and review over a period of time.  Students must gather at a collection point when the recess bell rings.  They should line up quickly and be escorted back to the building by the recess supervisor.  The gathering points are:

• North-tree/walkway back to building by art room.
• Center: edge of blacktop next to tree by walkway
• Playshed: line up under playshed.