Hello Blakely Families,
With February behind us, we're looking forward to a steady stretch in March—five full weeks of rich learning that will carry us toward the end of the year. I continue to be inspired by the work that happens daily at Blakely. Every day I see students and staff embracing challenges, cheering each other on, and celebrating accomplishments. I have a few exciting updates to share below. Thank you for reading!
MakerFaire:
We began accepting donations for our MakerFaire last week, and the supplies are flying in! We have tons of cardboard (but we still need more!). Please also keep an eye out for other useful items on our donation list: cylinders, unusual packaging, cups, coated wire, string, hooks, and more (this list is below). In order to pull this off, we need a lot of materials, and our hope is to upcycle everything students build with! You can drop donations off at any time—there's a cart at our front entrance for this purpose.
Here's what you need to know about the event:
Daytime Event: MakerFaire will take place on Thursday, March 26th during the school day. All students will have access to the event and will take part in building creatively throughout the day.
Evening Gallery Viewing: Join us Thursday evening from 6:00–7:30 PM for a "gallery viewing" event where students and families are welcome to walk through Blakely to see all the amazing creations. We'll also have our Book Fair open during this time for students and families to purchase books and more!
Volunteers Needed: If you're interested in volunteering for MakerFaire—either during the day to support classrooms or at the evening event—please contact the office.
February Attendance:
February was an incredible month for attendance at Blakely! Our average attendance rate for the month was 95.22% (average percent of students at school daily), blowing January's 91% out of the water. This was our best month since September (96%). Just last week, we had three days with more than 95% of students at school. This means we're now only two days away from our goal of 10 days above 95% attendance and an all-school celebration!
As we continue to review our attendance data, we do see a continued trend with tardies. We know mornings can be challenging, and factors like early bus stops or the ongoing construction at the Head of the Bay can contribute to delays. We want to thank you for all your continued efforts to get students here by 7:50 AM so they can engage in valuable connections and routines to start the day.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and support. Go Bulldogs!
Sam Cameron, Principal
