Blakely Newsletter - January 27, 2025

Hello Blakely Community! 

This week, I’d like to provide some information about our upcoming Changing Families Group, starting on February 24th, just after Mid-Winter Break.

Our Changing Families group is appropriate for students experiencing family separation or divorce, no matter how recent. We typically try to have three separate groups– Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade, and 3rd and 4th grade (yet this depends on the number of students signed up each year). Each group will meet in my office for 30 minutes weekly, for a total of eight sessions.

This group will use evidence-based materials from The Children's Institute. Their program, Children of Divorce Intervention Program, will be used to facilitate these groups.

The goals of this particular group are to provide a supportive group environment, ease the sense of being "the only one" who has a separated or divorced family, provide opportunities to express feelings related to a changing family structure, promote understanding of divorce-related concepts, explore divorce-related misconceptions, teach relevant coping skills, teach communication skills, teach problem-solving skills, and enhance children's positive perceptions of themselves and their families.

This group has been a wonderful opportunity in years past for students to build

connections, create a sense of pride in their family, and build skills to help reduce stress and increase resilience.

If you are interested in signing your child up for this group, or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out! 

Always here, 

Sign-ups for Conferences through Skyward Family Access.

If you need assistance signing-up, please contact your student's teacher or Kyanne Hawkins @ 206-780-2060 or khawkins@bisd303.org.

Bingo Night is THIS Friday, January 31st, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM! This exciting family event, hosted by Blakely parent Chris Lum, promises to be filled with games, laughs, pizza, and fantastic prizes. To ensure everyone has a wonderful time, we need your help! Parent volunteers are essential to making the evening run smoothly—whether it’s setting up, serving pizza, handing out prizes, or packing up afterward. Without enough volunteers, we won’t be able to create the fun and memorable night everyone looks forward to. Please take a moment to sign up for a quick and easy volunteer slot so Bingo Night can be a success for all! Thank you for helping make this special event possible!\

When: Thursdays after school for 8 weeks, starting January 30 (no class during conferences or mid-winter break).  Each session will run from 2:30pm - 4:00pm.

What: There will be two sections (grades 1/2 and grades 3/4), that will rotate between a 40-minute yoga class with Ms. Keller and a 40-minute mindfulness class with Ms. Agnew (with about 5 minutes at the end of each class for cleaning up, transitioning, etc.). The mindfulness class will coincide with the yoga class, and the themes/topics of each class will be connected. This integrated yoga and mindfulness club will allow students to move, learn about yoga and mindfulness, increase self-awareness, learn coping skills, and gain knowledge about the connection between the brain and body. A more detailed breakdown of weekly class themes will be provided to registered students and families prior to the start of the eight-week club. For more information and to sign up, follow this link.

Join Superintendent Amii Thompson and Chief Financial Officer Kim Knight for Budget-Centered Focus Groups over the next two weeks.

BISD STRONG Award - Fall/Winter Deadline is Jan. 30th

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Bainbridge Island School District is filled with amazing students, staff and volunteers. Recognize and honor the many individuals who make our district strong by nominating them for a BISD STRONG Award.

The BISD STRONG Award honors the district's guiding principles of STRONG MINDS, STRONG HEARTS, STRONG COMMUNITY.

Students, staff members from the seven schools and district office (which includes maintenance, transportation, food services, etc.) and BISD volunteers are eligible to be nominated for a BISD STRONG AWARD. 

Fall/Winter Deadline: January 30, 2025

31: PTO Bingo Night @ 5:30pm in the Commons

7: Popcorn Day

12-14: Conferences (No School)

17-21: Mid-Winter Break (No School)