Blakely Newsletter - September 16th, 2024

Dear Blakely Families,

I am sitting here at my desk reflecting on our first few weeks of the school year.  I feel so grateful to our amazing staff, supportive families, delightful students and beautiful weather.  Last week was wonderful but…we left school on Friday exhausted!   I would guess you and your children were too and I hope you had a restful weekend because the rest of the month will be very busy.

The building wide focus for the first two weeks has been on building a sense of community at Blakely built around a shared expectation for safe, respectful and responsible behavior. Teachers have also been setting the stage for a school year full of fun and friendship while learning by explicitly teaching character development and kindness.   Friday, we had our first all school assembly to reinforce these expectations, and to have a little fun too.  Ask your child about those 3 BEES whose behavior provided positive and negative examples of following rules.

 We look forward to seeing parents and guardians in the building tomorrow evening.  We will meet first in the Commons for a brief overview of Blakely school  You will then travel to your child’s classrooms (grades 1-4 only!) to receive an in depth view of your student’s grade level curriculum and activities.

With Gratitude,

Kathleen Pool

To make it easier for childcare, Blakely Parent/Guardian Night will be held on one night for all grades. Adults will meet in the commons and then go to the classrooms.

2nd & 3rd Grade: 5:15-6:15 pm

1st & 4th Grade: 6:30-7:30 pm

This evening is for parents only. We look forward to seeing you on September 17th!

A final reminder that Kindergartens will not be participating in our Parent/Gurardian night on September 17th. We feel that another informational event is not needed at this time. Please know that our communication will be ongoing throughout the year, with additional conferencing and evening events in the future. 

Blakely Jog-A-Thon: Mark your calendar, the Blakely Jog-A-Thon is back and will be held Friday, October 25th, with an emphasis on inclusivity, fun and celebration for our kids as they skip, run, or walk their way around the field in support of Blakely. We hope to have 100% participation, reach our fundraising goal and have this be the only fundraiser needed this year! Be prepared for more details coming soon.

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

Evening PTO Meeting (Wednesday, October 9, 6-7 pm): At the last PTO meeting, it was decided to move our October 9th meeting to an evening meeting to support larger attendance. We would love to hear your questions and input for this school year (2024-2025)! Interim Principal (and former librarian), Kathleen Pool will give a short presentation on how to kick off the school year right with great book recommendations. Childcare (with pizza for the kids) will be provided - please indicate in your RSVP how many children will be accompanying you! RSVP here.

Back to School Night Childcare Opportunity (Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17, 5-8:30 pm): The Boys & Girls Club is keeping their doors open late for families who need childcare to attend Back to School on Tuesday, September 17 from 5-8:30 pm. For $10/child, your student can enjoy crafts, games, and other activities with an included dinner. For more information on registration, see their flyer!

Call for Volunteers

Smile!

Our photographer is scheduled to take school photos the morning of Thursday, September 26h.

Picture retakes will be on Tuesday, October 29th

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This year the building will be secured at approximately 2:40pm every day. There will be access to restrooms at the northwest corner of the gym for families that stay after school to play on the playground. Please make sure your students are supervised.

As a reminder, please ask your students to not play in the Wetlands as indicated by the signage.

17: Parent/Guardian Night

26: School Picture Day

18: Unity Day (Taproot Theater Performance)

25: PTO Jog-a-thon

31- Nov 1 : Conferences (No School)